Photoinduced Precise Synthesis of Diatomic Ir1 Pd1 -In2 O3 for CO2 Hydrogenation to Methanol via Angstrom-Scale-Distance Dependent Synergistic Catalysis.

The atomically dispersed metal catalysts with full atomic utilization and well-defined site structure hold great promise for various catalytic reactions. However, the single metallic site limits the comprehensive reaction performance in most reactions. Here, we demonstrated a photo-induced neighbour-deposition strategy for the precise synthesis of diatomic Ir1 Pd1 on In2 O3 applied for CO2 hydrogenation to methanol. The proximity synergism between diatomic sites enabled a striking promotion in both CO2 conversion (10.5 %) and methanol selectivity (97 %) with good stability of 100 h run. It resulted in record-breaking space-time yield to methanol (187.1 gMeOH gmetal -1  hour-1 ). The promotional effect mainly originated from stronger CO2 adsorption on Ir site with assistance of H-spillover from Pd site, thus leading to a lower energy barrier for *HCOO pathway. It was confirmed that this synergistic effect strongly depended on the dual-site distance in an angstrom scale, which was attributed to weaker *H spillover and less electron transfer from Pd to Ir site as the Pd-to-Ir distance increased. The average dual-site distance was evaluated by our firstly proposed photoelectric model. Thus, this study introduced a pioneering strategy to precisely synthesize homonuclear/heteronuclear diatomic catalysts for facilitating the desired reaction route via diatomic synergistic catalysis.

Entropy-Assisted Anion-Reinforced Solvation Structure for Fast-Charging Sodium-Ion Full Batteries.

Anion-reinforced solvation structure favors the formation of inorganic-rich robust electrode-electrolyte interface, which endows fast ion transport and high strength modulus to enable improved electrochemical performance. However, such a unique solvation structure inevitably injures the ionic conductivity of electrolytes and limits the fast-charging performance. Herein, a trade-off in tuning anion-reinforced solvation structure and high ionic conductivity is realized by the entropy-assisted hybrid ester-ether electrolyte. Anion-reinforced solvation sheath with more anions occupying the inner Na+ shell is constructed by introducing the weakly coordinated ether tetrahydrofuran into the commonly used ester-based electrolyte, which merits the accelerated desolvation energy and gradient inorganic-rich electrode-electrolyte interface. The improved ionic conductivity is attributed to the weakly diverse solvation structures induced by entropy effect. These enable the enhanced rate performance and cycling stability of Prussian blue||hard carbon full cells with high electrode mass loading. More importantly, the practical application of the designed electrolyte was further demonstrated by industry-level 18650 cylindrical cells.

Isostructural Synthesis of Iron-Based Prussian Blue Analogs for Sodium-Ion Batteries.

Rechargeable sodium ion batteries (SIBs) have promising applications in large-scale energy storage systems. Iron-based Prussian blue analogs (PBAs) are considered as potential cathodes owing to their rigid open framework, low-cost, and simple synthesis. However, it is still a challenge to increase the sodium content in the structure of PBAs and thus suppress the generation of defects in the structure. Herein, a series of isostructural PBAs samples are synthesized and the isostructural evolution of PBAs from cubic to monoclinic after modifying the conditions is witnessed. Accompanied by, the increased sodium content and crystallinity are discovered in PBAs structure. The as-obtained sodium iron hexacyanoferrate (Na1.75 Fe[Fe(CN)6 ]0.9743 ·2.76H2 O) exhibits high charge capacity of 150 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C (17 mA g-1 ) and excellent rate performance (74 mAh g-1 at 50 C (8500 mA g-1 )). Moreover, their highly reversible Na+ ions intercalation/de-intercalation mechanism is verified by in situ Raman and Powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) techniques. More importantly, the Na1.75 Fe[Fe(CN)6 ]0.9743 ·2.76H2 O sample can be directly assembled in a full cell with hard carbon (HC) anode and shows excellent electrochemical performances. Finally, the relationship between PBAs structure and electrochemical performance is summarized and prospected.

Highly Potent, Selective, Biostable, and Cell-Permeable Cyclic d-Peptide for Dual-Targeting Therapy of Lung Cancer.

The application of peptide drugs in cancer therapy is impeded by their poor biostability and weak cell permeability. Therefore, it is imperative to find biostable and cell-permeable peptide drugs for cancer treatment. Here, we identified a potent, selective, biostable, and cell-permeable cyclic d-peptide, NKTP-3, that targets NRP1 and KRASG12D using structure-based virtual screening. NKTP-3 exhibited strong biostability and cellular uptake ability. Importantly, it significantly inhibited the growth of A427 cells with the KRASG12D mutation. Moreover, NKTP-3 showed strong antitumor activity against A427 cell-derived xenograft and KRASG12D-driven primary lung cancer models without obvious toxicity. This study demonstrates that the dual NRP1/KRASG12D-targeting cyclic d-peptide NKTP-3 may be used as a potential chemotherapeutic agent for KRASG12D-driven lung cancer treatment.

Establishment of a Convenient System for the Culture and Study of Perineurium Barrier In Vitro.

The perineurium serves as a selective, metabolically active diffusion barrier in the peripheral nervous system, which is composed of perineurial cells joined together by tight junctions (TJs). Not only are these junctions known to play an essential role in maintaining cellular polarity and tissue integrity, but also limit the paracellular diffusion of certain molecules and ions, whereas loss of TJs barrier function is imperative for tumour growth, invasion and metastasis. Hence, a detailed study on the barrier function of perineurial cells may provide insights into the molecular mechanism of perineural invasion (PNI). In this study, we aimed to develop an efficient procedure for the establishment of perineurial cell lines as a tool for investigating the physiology and pathophysiology of the peripheral nerve barriers. Herein, the isolation, expansion, characterization and maintenance of perineurial cell lines under favourable conditions are presented. Furthermore, the analysis of the phenotypic features of these perineurial cells as well as the barrier function for the study of PNI are described. Such techniques may provide a valuable means for the functional and molecular investigation of perineurial cells, and in particular may elucidate the pathogenesis and progression of PNI, and other peripheral nerve disorders.

Ti-doped CeO2 Stabilized Single-Atom Rhodium Catalyst for Selective and Stable CO2 Hydrogenation to Ethanol.

Development of effective and stable catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation into ethanol remains a challenge. Herein, we report that Rh1 /CeTiOx single-atom catalyst constructed by embedding monoatomic Rh onto Ti-doped CeO2 support has shown a super high ethanol selectivity (≈99.1 %), record-breaking turnover frequency (493.1 h-1 ), and outstanding stability. Synergistic effects of Ti-doption and monoatomic Rh contribute to this excellent catalytic performance by firstly facilitating oxygen vacancies formation to generate oxygen-vacancy-Rh Lewis-acid-base pairs, which favor CO2 adsorption and activation, cleavage of C-O bonds in CHx OH* and COOH* into CHx * and CO* species, subsequent C-C coupling and hydrogenation into ethanol, and secondly generating strong Rh-O bond by Ti-doping-induced crystal reconstruction, which contributes to striking stability. This work highlights the importance of support elaborating regulation for single-atom catalyst design to substantially improve the catalytic performance.

Single-Cell Analysis of Highly Metastatic Circulating Tumor Cells by Combining a Self-Folding Induced Release Reaction with a Cell Capture Microchip.

Nondestructive analysis of the single-cell molecular phenotype of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) is of great significance to the precise diagnosis and treatment of cancer but is also a huge challenge. To address this issue, here, we develop a facile analysis system that integrates CTCs' capture and molecular phenotype analysis. An isothermal nucleic acid amplification technique named self-folding induced release reaction (sFiR), which has high-efficiency signal amplification capabilities and can run under physiological conditions, is first developed to meet the high requirements for sensitivity and nondestructivity. By combining the sFiR with immune recognition and a single cell capture microchip, the molecular phenotype analysis of a single CTC is realized. As a model, nondestructive analysis of junction plakoglobin (JUP), an overexpressed membrane protein that is closely related to the metastasis of CTCs, is successfully achieved. Results reveal that this sFiR-based analysis system can clearly distinguish the expression of JUP in different cancer cell lines and can present quantitative information on the expression of JUP. Furthermore, the captured and analyzed CTCs maintain their basic physiological activity and can be used for drug sensitivity testing. Considering the excellent performance and ease of operation of the system, it can provide technical support for CTC-based cancer liquid biopsy and drug development.

Fire-Retardant, Stable-Cycling and High-Safety Sodium Ion Battery.

The safety of energy storage equipment has always been a stumbling block to the development of battery, and sodium ion battery is no exception. However, as an ultimate solution, the use of non-flammable electrolyte is susceptible to the side effects, and its poor compatibility with electrode, causing failure of batteries. Here, we report a non-flammable electrolyte design to achieve high-performance sodium ion battery, which resolves the dilemma via regulating the solvation structure of electrolyte by hydrogen bonds and optimizing the electrode-electrolyte interphase. The reported non-flammable electrolyte allows stable charge-discharge cycling of both sodium vanadium phosphate@hard carbon and Prussian blue@hard carbon full pouch cell for more than 120 cycles with a capacity retention of >85 % and high cycling Coulombic efficiency (99.7 %).

Tumor-derived exosomes enhance invasion and metastasis of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma cells.

OBJECTIVES: Tumor-derived exosomes (TDE) have been shown to participate in different steps of the dissemination of cancer cells. However, the role of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma-derived (SACC-derived) exosomes had not been documented in SACC. The study aims to explore the functions of SACC-derived TDE in SACC progression and investigate potential mechanisms. METHODS: Salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma cell line SACC-83 was used to generate TDE. Afterward, SACC-83 or HUVECs were cocultured with or without TDE. Tumor migration, tumor invasion, and endothelial permeability were examined by wound healing assay, tumor invasion assay, endothelial permeability assay, and tumor cell transendothelial migration assay, respectively. Moreover, the expression levels of cell junction-related proteins were examined by qRT-PCR and Western blot. RESULTS: Salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma -83-derived exosomes were taken up by their host cells. Meanwhile, TDE increased migration and invasion capacity of SACC-83 cells and enhanced endothelial cell permeability. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the expression of cell junction-related proteins (Claudins and ZO-1) was downregulated, which is presumably involved in the TDE-mediated promotion of migration, invasion, and metastasis. CONCLUSION: The results suggested that SACC cell-derived exosomes were loaded with individual components that could enhance invasiveness and induce microenvironment changes, thus promoting SACC aggression.

DNA Nanotechnology for Cancer Diagnosis and Therapy.

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, because of the lack of accurate diagnostic tools for the early stages of cancer. Thus, early diagnosis, which provides important information for a timely therapy of cancer, is of great significance for controlling the development of the disease and the proliferation of cancer cells and for improving the survival rates of patients. To achieve the goals of early diagnosis and timely therapy of cancer, DNA nanotechnology may be effective, since it has emerged as a valid technique for the fabrication of various nanoscale structures and devices. The resultant DNA-based nanoscale structures and devices show extraordinary performance in cancer diagnosis, owing to their predictable secondary structures, small sizes, and high biocompatibility and programmability. In particular, the rapid development of DNA nanotechnologies, such as molecular assembly technologies, endows DNA-based nanomaterials with more functionalization and intellectualization. Here, we summarize recent progress made in the development of DNA nanotechnology for the fabrication of functional and intelligent nanomaterials and highlight the prospects of this technology in cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Electrochemical biosensor based on the integration of maple leaf-like gold nanocrystal and truncated aptamer for detection of α-amanitin with high sensitivity, selectivity and rapidity.

This study reports the fabrication of three-dimensional gold nanocrystals as sensing material in the presence of l-glutathion and high-performance aptamer with 20 bases of α-amanitin via truncation and optimization of along aptamer. The resulting maple leaf-like gold nanocrystal (ML-Au) exhibits an improved catalytic activity due to more exposed high-index facets. The use of truncated aptamer increases the sensitivity by 15 times and reduces the reaction time by two times compared with those of original aptamer. An α-amanitin electrochemical biosensor constructed by integrating ML-Au nanocrystals with truncated aptamer exhibits high sensitivity, selectivity and rapidity. An increase of the α-amanitin concentration in the range of 1 × 10-14-1 × 10-9 M causes a linear decrease in the amperometric current with a limit of detection of 2.9 × 10-15 M (S/N = 3). The proposed analytical method is satisfactorily used for electrochemical sensing of α-amanitin in urine and wild mushroom samples.

A novel surgical technique to resolve mucosal fenestration of a root apex: Apical tunnel surgery: A case report.

RATIONALE: Endodontic surgery, which includes apex resection, retro-fill and some regeneration procedures, is a traditional way to deal with apex fenestration. The endodontic surgery could bring large flap, curtate root length, non-healing mucosa and soft tissue deficiency in the apex area. Other treatment options might be considered according to different etiological factors. Mucogingival surgery provides some ideas in accumulation of soft and hard tissues, especially some unique methods such as "tunnel technique" bringing us a view of minimal invasive surgery approach. A novel surgery named "apical tunnel surgery" was reported here to resolve a root apex exposure with the tunnel-like technique. PATIENT CONCERNS: A young female complained about root exposure of upper right anterior tooth without history of trauma or orthodontic treatment. DIAGNOSIS: The intraoral examination revealed a buccal root apex exposure about 3mm in diameter of #12 (FDI teeth numbering system). The tooth was slightly dark with Class 1 mobility. The periodontal situation was good and the occlusion check revealed no traumatic bite on #12. The cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) showed a bone fenestration from the buccally lower 1/2 root surface to the apex and bone absorption around the apex. It also revealed a bone contour deficiency in #12 area. INTERVENTIONS: Root canal treatment, root surface debridement, and soft tissue combined with hard tissue accumulation were carried out in one tunnel-like surgery. OUTCOMES: Examination of 12-month follow-up showed a healed and thickened mucosa in the buccally apical region and CBCT showed the continuous lamina dura occupied the buccal aspect of #12 root apex. LESSONS: This new apical tunnel surgery provided soft and hard tissue accumulation in one minimal invasive way in the apex exposure case caused by bone fenestration and thin mucosa.

Bacterial Cellulose-Based Bandages with Integrated Antibacteria and Electrical Stimulation for Advanced Wound Management.

Bandages for daily wounds are the most common medical supplies, but there are still ingrained defects in their appearance, comfort, functions, as well as environmental pollution. Here, novel bandages based on bacterial cellulose (BC) membrane for wound monitoring and advanced wound management are developed. The BC membrane is combined with silver nanowires (AgNWs) by using vacuum filtration method to achieve transparent, ultrathin (≈7 µm), breathable (389.98-547.79 g m-2  d-1 ), and sandwich-structured BC/AgNWs bandages with superior mechanical properties (108.45-202.35 MPa), antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, biocompatibility, and conductivity (9.8 × 103 -2.0 × 105  S m-1 ). Significantly, the BC/AgNWs bandage is used in the electrical stimulation (direct current, 600  microamperes for 1 h every other day) treatment of full-thickness skin defect in rats, which obviously promotes wound healing by increasing the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). The BC bandage is used for monitoring wounds and achieve a high accuracy of 94.7% in classifying wound healing stages of hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling, by using a convolutional neural network. The outcomes of this study not only provide two BC-based bandages as multifunctional wound management, but also demonstrate a new strategy for the development of the next generation of smart bandage.

Inorganic Pyrophosphate at Serum Concentration May Not Be Able to Inhibit Mineralization: A Study in Aqueous Solutions and Serum.

The constituent ions of calcium phosphate in body fluids are in the supersaturated state and tend to form minerals physiologically or pathologically. Inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi) has been considered as one of the most important inhibitors against the formation of calcium phosphate minerals. However, serum PPi concentrations in humans are maintained at a level of several µmol/L, and its effectiveness and mechanism for mineralization inhibition remain ambiguous. Therefore, this work studied the mineralization process in an aqueous solution, explored the effective inhibitory concentration of PPi by titration, and characterized the species during the reactions. We find that PPi at a normal serum concentration does not inhibit mineralization significantly. Such a conclusion was further confirmed in the PPi-added serum. This work indicates that PPi may not be a major direct inhibitor of mineralization in serum and possibly functions via alternative mechanisms.

Periodontal repair for advanced bone loss caused by orthodontic elastic bands: A case report with 7-year follow-up and literature review.

A 16-year-old girl developed severe acute periodontitis involving the maxillary central incisor and lateral incisor caused by elastic bands. Periodontal surgical interventions and orthodontic adjustment achieved good outcomes which were maintained for 7 years. This report demonstrates the criticality of correct diagnosis, early periodontal surgery, and interdisciplinary approach.

Porous Organic Polymer with Hierarchical Structure and Limited Volume Expansion for Ultrafast and Highly Durable Sodium Storage.

Sustainable organic electrode materials, as promising alternatives to conventional inorganic electrode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), are still challenging to realize long-lifetime and high-rate batteries because of their poor conductivity, limited electroactivity, and severe dissolution. It is also urgent to deeply reveal their electrochemical mechanism and evolution processes. A porous organic polymer (POP) with a conjugated and hierarchical structure is designed and synthesized here. The unique molecule and structure endow the POP with electron delocalization, high ionic diffusivity, plentiful active sites, exceptional structure stability, and limited solubility in electrolytes. When evaluated as an anode for SIBs, the POP exhibits appealing electrochemical properties regarding reversible capacity, rate behaviors, and long-duration life. Importantly, using judiciously combined experiments and theoretical computation, including in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and ex situ spectroscopy, we reveal the Na-storage mechanism and dynamic evolution processes of the POP, including 12-electron reaction process with Na, low volume expansion (125-106% vs the initial 100%), and stable composition and structure evolution during repeating sodiation/de-sodiation processes. This quantitative design for ultrafast and highly durable sodium storage in the POP could be of immediate benefit for the rational design of organic electrode materials with ideal electrochemical properties.

Advanced Li/Na-CO2 Batteries Enabled by the γ-MnO2 Catalyst with Enhanced Carbonate Decomposition.

Metal-CO2 batteries, especially Li-CO2 and Na-CO2 batteries, are regarded as ideal new-generation energy storage systems owing to their high energy density and extraordinary CO2 capture capability. However, the advancement of metal-CO2 batteries is still at an early stage. The problems caused by accumulation of carbonates during charge-discharge cycles, such as large polarization and poor reversibility, restrict their practical application. Therefore, designing efficient catalysts is crucial for promoting the decomposition of carbonate to improve the electrochemical performance of metal-CO2 batteries. Herein, we first adopted sea urchin-like γ-MnO2 as the cathode material for Li/Na-CO2 batteries. Benefiting from the unique structure and excellent catalytic activity of γ-MnO2, the as-prepared Li-CO2 and Na-CO2 batteries can achieve low overpotentials of 1.28 and 1.36 V, respectively, at a current density of 100 mA g-1 with a cutoff capacity of 1000 mA h g-1. The overpotentials are lower than those of most of the state-of-the-art catalysts in previous reports. After 100 and 50 cycles of Li-CO2 and Na-CO2 batteries, respectively, their charging termination voltages remain at around 4.1 and 3.9 V, respectively; such a low charging platform indicates the excellent catalytic activity of the γ-MnO2 cathode on the discharge products. Our findings offer a promising guideline to design efficient electrocatalysts for high-performance metal-CO2 batteries.

Achieving All-Plateau and High-Capacity Sodium Insertion in Topological Graphitized Carbon.

Hard carbon anodes with all-plateau capacities below 0.1 V are prerequisites to achieve high-energy-density sodium-ion storage, which holds promise for future sustainable energy technologies. However, challenges in removing defects and improving the insertion of sodium ions head off the development of hard carbon to achieve this goal. Herein, a highly cross-linked topological graphitized carbon using biomass corn cobs through a two-step rapid thermal-annealing strategy is reported. The topological graphitized carbon constructed with long-range graphene nanoribbons and cavities/tunnels provides a multidirectional insertion of sodium ions whilst eliminating defects to absorb sodium ions at the high voltage region. Evidence from advanced techniques including in situ XRD, in situ Raman, and in situ/ex situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) indicates that the sodium ions' insertion and Na cluster formation occurred between curved topological graphite layers and in the topological cavity of adjacent graphite band entanglements. The reported topological insertion mechanism enables outstanding battery performance with a single full low-voltage plateau capacity of 290 mAh g-1 , which is almost 97% of the total capacity.

In Situ Enzymatic Reaction Generates Magnesium-Based Mineralized Microspheres with Superior Bioactivity for Enhanced Bone Regeneration.

Bone is a naturally mineralized tissue with a remarkable hierarchical structure, and the treatment of bone defects remains challenging. Microspheres with facile features of controllable size, diverse morphologies, and specific functions display amazing potentials for bone regeneration. Herein, inspired by natural biomineralization, a novel enzyme-catalyzed reaction is reported to prepare magnesium-based mineralized microspheres. First, silk fibroin methacryloyl (SilMA) microspheres are prepared using a combination of microfluidics and photo-crosslinking. Then, the alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-catalyzed hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is successfully used to induce the formation of spherical magnesium phosphate (MgP) in the SilMA microspheres. These SilMA@MgP microspheres display uniform size, rough surface structure, good degradability, and sustained Mg2+ release properties. Moreover, the in vitro studies demonstrate the high bioactivities of SilMA@MgP microspehres in promoting the proliferation, migration, and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Transcriptomic analysis shows that the osteoinductivity of SilMA@MgP microspheres may be related to the activation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Finally, the bone regeneration enhancement units (BREUs) are designed and constructed by inoculating BMSCs onto SilMA@MgP microspheres. In summary, this study demonstrates a new biomineralization strategy for designing biomimetic bone repair materials with defined structures and combination functions.

A Single Electronic Tattoo for Multisensory Integration.

Wearable electronics are garnering growing interest in various emerging fields including intelligent sensors, artificial limbs, and human-machine interfaces. A remaining challenge is to develop multisensory devices that can conformally adhere to the skin even during dynamic-moving environments. Here, a single electronic tattoo (E-tattoo) based on a mixed-dimensional matrix network, which integrates two-dimensional  MXene nanosheets and one-dimensional cellulose nanofibers/Ag nanowires, is presented for multisensory integration. The multidimensional configurations endow the E-tattoo with excellent multifunctional sensing capabilities including temperature, humidity, in-plane strain, proximity, and material identification. In addition, benefiting from the satisfactory rheology of hybrid inks, the E-tattoos are able to be fabricated through multiple facile strategies including direct writing, stamping, screen printing, and three-dimensional printing on various hard/soft substrates. Especially, the E-tattoo with excellent triboelectric properties also can serve as a power source for activating small electronic devices. It is believed that these skin-conformal E-tattoo systems can provide a promising platform for next-generation wearable and epidermal electronics.